happy new year!

Whew! I feel like I can finally take a deep breath, one that I've been holding since Thanksgiving! The holidays are of course my favorite time of year, and this year was no different, but we were also anxiously awaiting them to be over so we could focus on the arrival of little Grayson in March . . . since entertaining Joe's parents on Thanksgiving, in the midst of preparing for Christmas, we have been hopelessly busy with one project after another - between shoots, fulfilling holiday print orders, designing gift albums, editing, marketing, spending time with the girls, lending Joe a hand at his office, I am wiped. out. Two days after Christmas, my sister and her family arrived for a visit from Colorado, and we said goodbye to them just in time to celebrate my 33rd birthday on New Year's Eve, attend a fabulous birthday dinner and celebration at the home of our dear friends, and keep the shorties up until the wee hours of the morning to enjoy a midnight fireworks celebration . . . at that time, Joe and I also wrote down the things we wanted to let go of that weighed us down in 2012, and what we hoped to achieve in 2013. We cheersed to a champagne toast, made it home and to bed by 2:30 a.m., and voila! Just like that, the holidays and the most wonderful year are over. I am so happy to be back to routine, and I promise to bring you many, many posts and beautiful stories to share. For now, I want to say Happy New Year to you all! May you make it your best yet, take each day in 2013 one at a time, cherish your relationships, celebrate your loved ones to pieces, sip good wine, drink lots of water, take care of your bodies, be patient with your children, nurture your passions, and inspire those around you by being the most beautiful person you know how to be . . . Happy New Beginnings, everyone!